It’s entirely possible that you already have all the assets you need, in order to achieve the commercial success you want (and more.) The challenge, is that small business owners are often unable to see these game-changing assets, especially when they really need them!

And I'm talking about you and me both.

The reason I am writing this post, is to make you aware that they do exist and to encourage you to look for them. As they said in CA in the good old days, there is
Gold dust in your inbox.

Here’s a common example of what I mean: Right now, there are emails in your inbox, which you opened because the subject line of the email compelled you to open it. Could that subject line be adapted and applied to your own email marketing? If you did that and it increased your open rate by 15%-20%, what impact might that have on your sales figures over the coming 12 months? There are usually dozens of other hidden assets, which small business owners are sitting on, unaware of their value.

I was prompted to write this post, after reading a post... (I’ll call him Bob) who had an amazing story.

And remember, stories WORK.

So here's the story.

Bob has worked hard all his life in blue collar jobs, and has always been short of money. He told me how, when he was around 20 years old, he was given a painting by a friend; after his friend moved home and couldn’t find anywhere suitable for it. Around 40 years later, Bob gave the painting to a friend, as he had never liked it. His friend decided to have the painting re-framed, and the framer immediately spotted that it was valuable. Bob assumed the “ugly” painting was just a worthless print. The reality was that it was a highly collectable, original painting, which sold for $150,000.

Bob explained that there were countless occasions during his life (he’s in his seventies now), where he was desperately short of money. As he worried about paying the rent, he was walking past a painting in his hallway, so valuable that it would have paid off his bills and still given him a 6 figure sum to invest.

Finding your hidden assets

Take a long, detailed look at your business, for valuable, hidden assets. The best tip I can give you, is that they seldom look like valuable assets. Just as opportunities usually come disguised as hard work, valuable assets are often disguised as ugly paintings or deleted emails and they are usually hidden right under your nose!

BY THE WAY - this is something I think is very valuable. And I have like 200,000 emails on my Yahoo account. Go figure.

Dr. Carney

Do you have a passion for what you're doing?

I don't know about you, but I have a passion for marketing.

I have a passion for chiropractic and health.

What do you have passions for?

Ever ask yourself?

I have.

Here's what Steve Jobs had to say.



Dr. Carney

Why your business needs a story

Monday
5:37 PM
PST
Halloween night

Believe it or not, the secret to creating great word of mouth is all about story telling. If people are not talking about you in the marketplace, in your town, in your city, in your community, it’s because of one little thing. You have not given them a story, which is worth sharing. Wow, what do you think about that? I don't know what to tell you. But today, I am going to recommend you change that!

With hundreds of millions of people connected on social networking sites, it has never been easier for your patients to share how great you are with their friends and family. Now don't get me wrong. I do NOT like FACEBOOK. But if you're on it, use it to your advantage in the right positive way.

All YOU need to do is give your patients a story worth sharing and make it easy to share. That's it. And... if you're stuck right now, I'm going to help you with the right story.

Winning stories

When someone has spent a week or two being wowed at a Disney resort, they have a story to share, which they tell to anyone who will listen. When someone has bought a product from the Apple Store, the people serving them are tasked with the job of ensuring the buying experience is worth talking about. And your business should be NO different. You want them to have a WOW experience no matter what it takes.

The companies with the best stories get the most word of mouth publicity, because people love to share their experiences.

Losing stories

So, the losing stories that spread, are the ones worth repeating. This is true of negative stories too. If a service provider in your town has a habit of under delivering on their promises, the story spreads. That includes any doctor. Bad experience = bad story. Disgruntled former patients will often feel the need to share their disappointment with their friends. I always tell people, you PISS me off and I'll tell at least 12 people, minimum. This is especially the case, if their experience of a provider is so poor, that they believe it will stop others from using that provider and suffering the same experience.

I remember just this year I went to a restaurant and they gave BAD service. Treated me poorly so I wrote the home office. I got a call from the manager, who wasn't there at the time, the general manager and some FREE tickets for a meal. I never used them but that just goes to show you that I tell anyone that will LISTEN.

Fake stories

A Chinese restaurant close to where I live was the victim of a fake story and now faces going out of business. Someone decided to start a rumor, which spread on Facebook and resulted in the restaurant losing a lot of money. The story was short and had a twist at the end, which caused it to spread into the national press.

The fact it was fake - didn’t stop it spreading, because people tend not to fact check, before sharing stories. Even one as unlikely as a lady going to the restaurant, who gets taken to hospital because of pain in her throat, which was caused by a microchip lodged in her throat that had been in the Chinese food she had eaten. The twist in the story, is that the microchip gets scanned and turns out to belong to… a missing greyhound dog! According to this report in the national press, the restaurant is now facing bankruptcy.

Your stories

So, what good wholesome stories do you have, which your patients can share? What have you done for your patients, which is so jaw-dropping awesome that they feel compelled to tell everyone they know? You see, it’s not enough to “just” provide a great service. It's really not. People expect great service, each and every time they walk in the office. Offering a great service may be enough to retain their custom, but it takes something extra, to get them talking about you. There is a minor difference, but it's a huge difference to your bottomline.

What was the last experience to impress you so much, that you had to share it with your friends? Please share your experiences and show your patients the kind of thing that gets people talking!

I know this is not a big thing, but it's the little 1%'ers that can get you the 110%.
Just keep hitting the smaller ones, until they add up to the big one.

Think about it.

Dr. Carney

Here's why more people are NOT successful.

9:51 AM
Monday
Temecula, CA

Hey,

If you're reading this, you're a smart person.

Why do I say that?

Because, you are.

You're investing your time in learning more
about marketing which means you're going to
be able to market yourself and your business
ten times better than your competition.

No kidding.

Here's an email I received from a female doctor.

You won't know who it is because her name is her
first name and you don't know where she's located.

Here's the email:

-------------------------------------------------

Dr. Heather is doing talks at Yoga By _____ this
week to the pre-natal and mom and me yoga classes
and has to change some hours this week.

She will be closed Wed. Nov. 2 from 3:30 to 5pm,
opening late on Thurs. Nov. 2 at 2pm and closing
early on Sat. Nov. 5 at 11am.

Sorry for any inconvenience and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

-------------------------------------------------

Can you see by reading what's wrong with this.

First off, I've got to tell you, this doctor is
always writing 'sorry for any inconvenience'. I
don't know what Ivory Tower she climbed out of, but
she is definitely not a servant in my eyes. Not a
good one anyway.

Now you don't have to work 90 hours a week, or be
in the office six or seven days a week, but patients
get mixed up and confused easily. No kidding.

So what can you do.

Keep it simple.

Here's how I would have written the email that you
read above if I was coaching this doctor.

--------
Hi,

Well it's almost Halloween.

It's really been fun getting ready for the holidays
to begin, and this is just another one of those special
holiday for kids as well as BIG KIDS.

I'm going to be doing a special talk at Yoga By Dumpy Drawers this
week to the pre-natal & Mom and Me Yoga classes held at the
university at 6 PM.

So with that said, here are the changes in my schedule.

I'll be closed Wednesday. November 2nd in the afternoon
from 3:30 on.

But don't worry. To make up for it, I'll be scheduling
patients late on Thursday, November 3rd at 2 PM.

Make a note of this if you will, and schedule your appointment
time accordingly.

OH yeah, I almost forgot. I'll be closed early on Saturday,
November 5 at 11 AM, so make sure you make your appointments
now.

If you need a reminder of your time, just call Melissa and
she'll put you on a recall reminder list. She'll call you two hours
before your scheduled time so you don't forget.

All the best, and keep telling people the chiropractic story.

Dr. Heather
OFFICE for APPTS = (909) 568-4763
--------

Okay. Do you see the difference?

Mine's more friendly, and I think mine is more engaging.

You tell me.

So my point is this. If you're going to write an email about
a change, do it in a beneficial way. Let the patient know that
of course it's an inconvenience, but then tell them how great they
are. Patients are people. They have feelings.

I remember working for a D.O. Great guy, but he just didn't get this.

He was always leaving to go somewhere with his girlfriend. Yeah
that worked great for them, but it wasn't good for the patients.

That's the marketing lesson for Halloween.

ENJOY your evening.

I think I'll be working out.

Talk to you on the next post. This is Dr. Carney, signing off.

Dr. Carney

PS If you have any comments, just send me a quick reply to
my email: drroddc@yahoo.com Thanks

12-month Marketing Guide

Hey,

It's almost Monday so I thought I'd sneak this one in on you.

Your Never Before Seen 12-month Marketing Guide.

Pay close attention to what I'm going to share with you.

Follow these 12 steps to help your practice reach ultimate marketing success.

The more new patients you see, the more your practice grows.

Agreed?

And those who have mastered the new-patient machine will tell you that it’s good
to start by thinking with the end in mind.

1. Begin by purchasing a 12-month marketing calendar. These are somewhat expensive as the ones I sell are loaded with examples, so basically all you're doing is cutting and pasting, and you'll be a winner.

This is not your typically calendar that you can tape to a wall. This is a stand alone marketing piece that is something you've never been exposed to and loaded from beginning to end with ways to celebrate and influence your prospects and patients.

2. Next, once you have the calendar in your hands, determine how many new patients you feel you can realistically attract on a monthly basis. Write it down, and write it at least ten times a day, everyday you're awake. You figure out that statement.

3. Once you have a number in mind, write it in the bottom right corner of every month on your calendar. This represents a target that you should hit every month, and it allows you to measure and monitor your goal for success. It's not rocket science and it works. Just make sure you're doing this on a regular basis.

4. Follow this by strategizing with your team or staff and your public relations assistant for the top 10 or 12 marketing tools that work in your city, town, etc. It's going to take some time to figure this out, but if you're consistent, it'll work like gangbusters.

5. Consider story boarding all of these tools on a cork board in your office so you can better identify those marketing tools that work best in practice. When you write something on paper and put it in plain sight, things start to happen quickly.

With your storyboard list in mind, start applying one marketing tool at a time across the entire 12-month period. One idea at a time more or less ensures your success. You can try a lot all at once, but I'd recommend one thing at a time.

For example: Place at least two to four screenings on weekends, on each month, or two to four outside “workshops” at different companies or corporations if you do screenings. If you don't, think workshops for weight loss, diabetes, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc..

6. Direct mail is also something that can work very well, and sending mailings every four weeks minimum is a decent frequency. Not often enough, but a good start. It’s also recommended that you ensure that your website is user friendly. If you're not being coached by me yet, you'd better think long and hard about getting on my roster and letting me handle all the marketing.

7. Another external marketing tool that is having profound impact on new patient attraction is monthly postcards. I have a ton of them and if you want the best, most personalized postcards in our profession, you can just call me personally and order your first one.

8. One of the best internal marketing tools is simply asking to give health information. This is different from asking for referrals because it is a mission-based tool that allows you to get chiropractic information and health passes
in the hands of friends and family. For example: Every patient who walks into your practice gets a weekly handout that is controversial, philosophical, or inspirational. These get your patients to focus on chiropractic and create
conversation points.

9. You can also consider putting a dry-erase board in your hot seat area and write a question on it like, “Ask the doctor about nausea.” I put on mine, "Get rid of allergies for good in 60 days... GUARANTEED." I found out about this amazing feat in my last trip to Texas. It's a little costly to the patient, as there is NO insurance that covers this, but really, it's only a cool !K, so it's not going to break anyone's bank. Patients are curious to know about the subject. There's other things you can also do. You can ask them, “Is vomiting a sign of a healthy or sick patient?” If they have gotten the big idea, they should be able to give you the right answer. If not you're not doing your job as a doctor.

10. One of the most effective health passes used today is called the “family gift certificate.” This is a health pass that every new patient receives during their checkout, and can be used for the entire family to receive a complimentary
check up. Design one that is catchy, and gets results. If you include an expiration date on the certificate, make sure to follow up with them on their next visit to ensure that they take advantage of it.

11. Card day is also an effective internal tool that consists of giving patients your business card with some type of health pass on the back. Design these to be completely different and then rotate them. I'd say design at least 24 different cards. You'll have some nice ones and you'll be able to TEST what really works. That is worth the price of my coaching alone, so make sure you're staying on top of all of this. If you can do that one thing, you're going to grow.

12. The last, and possibly most effective marketing tool you’ll need is yourself. When you are serving and saving lives, you will find that people will be knocking down your doors to be part of your chiropractic family. People buy YOU, just like they BUY people in other professions, like antiques and real estate. Among the biggies.

Always watch the energy levels in your practice — including associates and team members — to ensure that everyone is sharing the same vision and executing 110 percent on your procedures. What I do is I sit the staff down, and have them write down what they think my goals are. How many people I want to see per day, per week, and how much they think I want to collect per week and per month. Have them do this and I think you'll be surprised with the results.

Thanks again for reading my blog.

Dr. Carney

Are you changing the world?

10:49 AM
CHANGE the world?

Yup, you can and you will.

I have. But you know what, I'm still
working on it.

I must have a fire up my A$## because
I'm more determined than ever.

You should be too.

I don't care if you're changing things at
your office, your home, or you're just
changing you.

Just do something - and keep the fire burning.

http://youtu.be/Dou7EWRltlA

Dr. Carney

PS I love your comments. Just leave them.
And be sure and tell your friends about this
blog.

Thanks.

5 Quick Hit Referral Ideas

8:54 PM
Thursday
TEXAS TIME


Hey,

I've been busy.

How about you?

I found something on the internet tonight so I'm going to share it with you.

Every time I go out of town, like in TEXAS, I walk away with great ideas from the doctors. This trip was no exception. Here are 5 quick ideas, all of which can lead to more referrals, more patients, and more revenue for you if you're a go getter.

1. Start a Holiday Conversation - Put this item in your calendar to pop up in early November (for Thanksgiving) through the end of December (Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's Day.) You might start the conversation by saying something like: "Who do you get to see over the holidays?" or "Are you visiting with friends and family over the holiday?"

Now, you know what to do with this information, right? These people are possible fuel for a subsequent referral conversation (or on the spot depending on your relationship with your patient.)

2. Meet Them in Their Space - This is a little off the charts, but you have to do this if you want to make some headway FAST. If you are accustomed to your patients coming to your office, it's still a great practice to meet with them in their space from time to time. Offer to meet them at their home or office. Try walking them to their car after a meeting at your office if they're the last ones at the office. See how the nature of your conversation changes. Observe how much more you learn about different aspects of their life. Since money intersects all aspects of their life, what you learn could give rise to new business. At a minimum, you build your business friendship which supports loyalty and referrals.

3. Send Summary Letters - When you provide a brief summary letter or email following your appointment, you enhance the patient experience. It enhances loyalty and referrability. That's huge. With your more sophisticated or successful patients, where it's appropriate to have a business relationship with their CPA, get written permission to copy the CPA with your summary letters. This makes you referable in the eyes of their CPA.

4. Let Them Know About the Value Discussion - You know that the Value Discussion is the cornerstone for asking for referrals. Even if you don't ask for referrals, you should be checking in with your patients almost every visit to make sure the communication is to their liking and your relationship is on solid ground.

5. An Idea to Run by You - "Get Permission to Brainstorm." Some folks just don't find the word "brainstorm" natural in their conversation. Here's a different approach that you might like to use. After the Value Discussion, try saying to your patient, "I have an idea to run by you. Let's see if we can identify a few folks you think should know about chiropractic." (Or similar verbiage.) Oh yeah, this works no matter what type of work you do, from antiques to real estate. All businesses are the same. Everyone needs patients, clients, customers, etc.

Well it's getting late, and I'm going to watch a little TV in TEXAS. (*Like it's going to be any different here. Yeah right.)

Have a great tomorrow. I look forward to you reading this and commenting on it.